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Williams court cases decline, but caseload remains high
Court Watch |
2016/08/09 20:35
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Court cases in Williams County have declined as energy activity has slowed, but caseloads in the oil patch county remain heavy.
The Williston Herald reports that about 2,100 criminal cases are expected to be filed this year in the county that's home to Williston, down from a peak of more than 2,750 filings in 2012.
State's Attorney Marlyce Wilder says theft cases remain steady, however, as people who have lost their jobs in the oil field struggle.
The clerk of court's office also is short-staffed. By fall, the office will have three open positions that can't be filled without state Supreme Court approval due to state budget cuts prompted by the oil slowdown.
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Appeals court hands loss to New Jersey sports betting effort
Court News |
2016/08/09 20:35
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A federal appeals court has rejected New Jersey's attempt to legalize sports betting, setting aside the state's legal challenge to a federal ban.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling published Tuesday invalidates a law passed by New Jersey in 2014 that would have allowed sports betting at casinos and racetracks.
The four major professional sports leagues and the NCAA sued the state, claiming the expansion of legal sports betting would damage the integrity of their games and lead to game-fixing.
Currently, only Nevada offers betting on individual games. Delaware offers multigame parlay betting in which players must pick several games correctly to win. Hundreds of billions of dollars are bet illegally on sports annually.
The 3rd Circuit wrote Tuesday New Jersey's law violates a 1992 federal law. |
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Swedish court hands life sentences to 2 for gang shooting
Court Watch |
2016/08/07 20:35
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A Swedish court has handed life sentences to two men and prison sentences to six others in a high-profile gang-related shooting that left two dead and eight wounded in the city of Goteborg last year.
The Goteborg District Court said Monday the two key suspects were found guilty of murder for opening fire with automatic weapons in a crowded Goteborg restaurant in March, 2015 as people were watching a Champions League soccer match.
The court said six other defendants were charged with murder, attempted murder, planning and assisting the crime, and were given prison sentences between 7 and 14 years. Disputes between criminal gangs are believed to have motivated the shooting.
All eight men have denied the charges but it wasn't immediately clear whether they would appeal the verdict.
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Court to consider future of Alabama chief justice
Areas of Focus |
2016/08/04 20:35
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A court is considering whether suspended Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore should lose his job for an order on gay marriage.
The Alabama Court of the Judiciary scheduled a hearing for Monday on judicial investigators' request to remove Moore from office.
Moore denies any wrongdoing and is asking the court to dismiss administrative charges filed earlier this year.
Moore is accused of violating court ethics with an administrative order to state probate judges saying Alabama laws against same-sex marriage remained in effect after the U.S. Supreme Court effectively legalized gay marriage.
Investigators with the Judicial Inquiry Commission are asking the court to oust Moore without a trial, but Moore opposes the request.
Both supporters and opponents of Moore are planning noontime rallies outside Alabama's main judicial building before the hearing.
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Former Virginia first lady asks court to vacate convictions
Legal Topics |
2016/08/02 23:40
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Lawyers for Virginia's former first lady say her corruption convictions should be vacated after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned her husband's convictions.
News outlets report that Maureen McDonnell's attorneys asked the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to vacate her convictions in a motion filed Monday. Former Gov. Bob McDonnell and his wife were convicted of doing favors for a wealthy businessman for more than $165,000 in gifts and loans. The high court overturned his conviction and sent it back to the appeals court.
Maureen McDonnell's attorneys say erroneous jury instructions identified in her husband's case apply to her case, too. Lawyers in Bob McDonnell's case have until Aug. 29 to decide how to proceed and her attorneys seek the same deadline. Her attorneys say prosecutors don't oppose the motion.
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China releases prominent human rights lawyer on bail
Attorney News |
2016/08/01 23:40
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China released a prominent human rights lawyer on bail amid protests Monday outside a northern city court, where supporters of other jailed lawyers and activists condemned the secrecy surrounding the government's yearlong campaign against legal activism.
The release of Wang Yu, who was detained last July, coincided with videos of an alleged confession by Wang posted on the websites of two Hong Kong media outlets in which she renounced her legal work and said "foreign forces" were using her law firm to undermine and discredit the Chinese government.
Wang's Beijing-based firm, Fengrui, has been at the center of a vast case in which dozens of lawyers and activists have been detained, questioned or charged with subversion since July last year.
Wen Donghai, a lawyer for Wang, told The Associated Press on Monday that he had learned from media reports that Wang had been released but had not seen her. Li Yuhan, another lawyer representing Wang, said Wang's mother did not know of her release.
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US Capitol plot suspect due in court for plea hearing
Areas of Focus |
2016/07/31 23:40
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An Ohio man accused of plotting to attack the U.S. Capitol in support of the Islamic State group is due in court for a change-of-plea hearing.
Christopher Lee Cornell, 22, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from his January 2015 arrest. A change-of-plea hearing notice was filed on Friday in U.S. District Court in Cincinnati. Such notices often signal plans to plead guilty.
U.S. District Judge Sandra Beckwith ruled in April that Cornell was competent to stand trial after his attorneys questioned his mental state.
FBI agents arrested Cornell in the parking lot of a gun shop near Cincinnati, saying he'd just bought two M-15 assault weapons and ammunition.
Cornell's father said his son was misled and coerced by "a snitch."
Charges of attempted murder of U.S. officials and employees and solicitation to commit a crime of violence carry potential 20-year prison sentences with convictions. A charge of offering material support to a terrorist organization carries a sentence of up to 15 years. Cornell also faces a firearms-related charge, which carries a mandatory minimum of five years and up to a maximum of life in prison.
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